Continued: Water

The authors cautioned that the paper’s estimates are conservative and are based on data from 1950 – 99. They do not include the previous decade, which had some of the highest temperatures and most extreme droughts, along with population increases.

“Also, the estimates don’t take climate change into account,” Kominoski said. “We expect to have less precipitation in the summer, during the growing season, and more severe droughts. As population grows, so does demand for water.”